1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to protective gloves, and, in particular, relates to elastic gloves of the type used in administering chemotherapy drugs or other medically related practices.
2. Background of Related Art
Gloves and other personal protection equipment are often used in the medical and related fields to help prevent contamination between caregivers and patients. Disposable elastic gloves are often packaged as sterile or non-sterile products and used for surgical or examination purposes. The gloves are commonly fabricated from a thin elastomeric material such as latex, which can stretch to the shape of a hand to provide a very close fit and allow for an unimpaired tactile sense. This close fit feature can create difficulty in safely removing gloves that have become contaminated with biological or chemical hazards. To remove a glove, a clinician will often reach under the cuff with a finger or thumb of the opposite hand and peel the cuff toward the fingertips. Because the gloves are stretched taught against the wrist or forearm, even when extreme care is used this practice risks contact of the exterior surface of a glove with the skin and a resulting contamination of the skin.
One area in the medical field where skin contamination is a particular concern is the administering and mixing of chemotherapy drugs. Chemotherapy drugs are among the most potent and toxic (many have been identified as carcinogens) drugs available. on a milligram per milligram basis. Patients usually receive them only after they have been safely diluted, but clinicians often must handle these drugs in their un-diluted form. Accordingly, clinicians typically wear protective gloves which are specifically adapted for this purpose. The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) recommends that although the likelihood of permeation through these gloves is small, double gloves should be worn for all activities involving hazardous drugs to protect the clinician's hands from the contamination associated with removing the gloves. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also makes this recommendation so that a contaminated finger or thumb can be slipped between the gloves to remove the outer glove first without contacting the skin on the forearm. This practice will expose the clean inner glove which may then be used to remove the glove on the opposite hand.
Unfortunately, clinicians frequently fail to follow the recommendations set forth by the ONS and NIOSH due to the inconvenience of the additional time it takes to don an extra pair of gloves. Additionally, wearing two full sets of gloves detracts from the clinician's tactile sense. This impairment of dexterity makes it difficult to manipulate the small vials and glass ampoules in which chemotherapy drugs are often stored. Accordingly, there is a need for a glove that can be safely removed while not encroach on a clinician's ability to perform her job.